VSO to mark 100 years with free day of music
New season unveiled, includes performance by Itzhak Perlman
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 100th-anniversary season in 2018-19 with four special concerts, including a free day of music for the public.
In the coming season, the orchestra’s special live symphonic performances to movies will expand to include Star Wars: A New Hope in July and La La Land in November.
One of the big highlights will be on Jan. 26, 2019, the 100th anniversary of the VSO’s first concert. The day will be marked with free musical activities and concerts from the VSO, the VSO School of Music, the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra and other musical organizations throughout the city. Venues for the free music day include the Orpheum, Queen Elizabeth Theatre and other civic theatres.
Matthew Baird, the VSO’s public relations manager and assistant to the music director, said the season’s mix of concerts was designed to build on the past and look to the future.
“Given that it’s the 100th-anniversary year, we’re trying to reflect on what we’ve done in the past and many of the successes we’ve had,” Baird said in an interview.
“It’s where we’ve been, what we’re doing, and where we’re going.”
The VSO unveiled its 100th-anniversary season at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
The VSO will start its next century under the leadership of Otto Tausk, who takes over as music director from Bramwell Tovey in July. Tovey has been the orchestra’s music director since 2000.
Tausk, born in the Netherlands, will be the VSO’s 10th music director. He is currently the music director of the Orchestra and Opera of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
The season opens Sept. 20 when the orchestra welcomes soprano Renee Fleming and ends June 11, 2019 with violinist James Ehnes as guest in a 100th-anniversary gala celebrating Canadian talent and what the VSO calls “the future of music in a global world.”
Next year, during the official 100th-anniversary month, legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman joins the orchestra on Jan. 29 to play Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto.
The nine musical directors preceding Tausk have been Henry Green, Allard de Ritter, Jacques Singer, Irwin Hoffman, Meredith Davies, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Rudolf Barshai, Sergiu Comissiona and Tovey.
Other highlights of the 100thanniversary season include Akiyama’s return as conductor laureate for a historic program of music, as well as two appearances by Tovey as music director emeritus.
Baird said the VSO continues to work on building the audience for classical music with its Live to Picture performances.
Two new movie performances this year will be Star Wars: A New Hope — In Concert July 11 to 13 and La La Land — In Concert on Nov. 17. The popular Harry Potter Film Concert series returns with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix July 5 to 7.
Baird said the Live to Picture performances are examples of how the VSO is reaching out to a new and younger audience.
“I think a lot of people’s first exposure to symphonic music is to movies and soundtracks,” he said.
But Baird wasn’t convinced that live symphony performances of movie soundtracks translates into full-time symphony fans.
“The fact is that people appreciate how many musicians are involved in a film score and what a performance entails,” he said.
“It’s a really great door opener for many in the audience — and something that our longtime subscribers appreciate as well.” Other highlights include: The start of the first Indigenous community commissioning project. The world premiere is planned for the 2019-20 season.
The orchestra has almost reached gender balance among soloists. The ratio will be 24 women and 25 men for the 201819 season.
Returning to the podium is maestra Tania Miller; maestra Xian Zhang will be making her VSO debut.
Maestro Tausk will be presiding over the Spring Festival in April 2019. In exploring the theme Music and Power, the festival will feature great composers and compositions and how music relates to history and culture.
VSO composer-in-residence Jocelyn Morlock has been invited to continue in her role during the centenary season. She’ll be part of the sixth annual VSO New Music Festival, co-curated by maestro Tausk, in late January.
We’re trying to reflect on what we’ve done in the past ... It’s where we’ve been, what we’re doing, and where we’re going.